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Tag Archives: compassion

…”Expect the Speaker to be taking sides in the BC political fray”…”Terror in Britain: Love is not enough”….

SOMETHING ABOUT….”the rules of the house are clear that in the event of a tie, the speaker “shall give a casting vote” to break the deadlock. A sure way to politicize the office by forcing the speaker to regularly take sides in the partisan fray.”

And so it will go soon!

SOMETHING ABOUT….“run, hide, tell, like ‘duck & cover’ was taught to a previous generation of school children. ‘Love will conquer hate’. But is love enough?….Is something more required? Obviously yes, but just what might that be? A dilemma.”

As the google doodle today reminds us of the discoverer of blood groups/blood types, the “A,B,AB,O” of it is,—-regardless of where we find ourselves in ‘the groupings’ & despite the negativity in our world, we should all try to maintain attitudes that are positive!

The Goblet of Life

Filled is Life’s goblet to the brim;
And though my eyes with tears are dim,
I see its sparkling bubbles swim,
And chant a melancholy hymn
With solemn voice and slow.

No purple flowers,–no garlands green,
Conceal the goblet’s shade or sheen,
Nor maddening draughts of Hippocrene,
Like gleams of sunshine, flash between
Thick leaves of mistletoe.

This goblet, wrought with curious art,
Is filled with waters, that upstart,
When the deep fountains of the heart,
By strong convulsions rent apart,
Are running all to waste.

And as it mantling passes round,
With fennel is it wreathed and crowned,
Whose seed and foliage sun-imbrowned
Are in its waters steeped and drowned,
And give a bitter taste.

Above the lowly plants it towers,
The fennel, with its yellow flowers,
And in an earlier age than ours
Was gifted with the wondrous powers,
Lost vision to restore.

It gave new strength, and fearless mood;
And gladiators, fierce and rude,
Mingled it in their daily food;
And he who battled and subdued,
A wreath of fennel wore.

Then in Life’s goblet freely press,
The leaves that give it bitterness,
Nor prize the colored waters less,
For in thy darkness and distress
New light and strength they give!

And he who has not learned to know
How false its sparkling buhbles show,
How bitter are the drops of woe,
With which its brim may overflow,
He has not learned to live.

The prayer of Ajax was for light;
Through all that dark and desperate fight
The blackness of that noonday night
He asked but the return of sight,
To see his foeman’s face.

Let our unceasing, earnest prayer
Be, too, for light,–for strength to bear
Our portion of the weight of care,
That crushes into dumb despair
One half the human race.

…”So what if you never get married?”…”Adele: ‘I don’t let body image issues rule my life'”…”We must get men to talk”…”Free Big Macs for life: only if you’re a billionaire”…”South Africa: Why students have turned on their parents’ generation”…”The sight of a reporter expressing emotion is a sign of the times”…

All in a day’s headlines & one more—“Where is the fastest growing city in the world?”…

Apparently, pictured above, is the planet’s “fastest growing metropolis in the world–Batam, Indonesia.”

Cheers to a Wednesday where community, compassion, & considerate can be the song for everyone!

As the google doodle today honours the first traffic light, what better topic than ‘STOP & GO’ ?!!!!

Our lives are full of stop & go!

Some might say, stop & go, & let go, from the get go…

Life’s just like that!

As cranky young toddlers, probably one of the first things we hear is “stop it!”

By the first day of school, it’s parents encouragingly…..”go!”

And so it goes with roots & wings we head out into the world to make our mark, to experience the chaos, to form part of the ‘new world order’.

And it continues on & on for generations now & to come!

Yes, our lives are full of signals.

Reading them. Being in tune with life. Compassionate.

Some say that’s using our intuition…

How are you at sensing the signals in your day?

Are you caught up in the treadmill of life’s routines & stresses & sometimes oblivious to them? Or is there not much that passes you by in the sensitivities of human interactions in all kinds of situations?

Most of us are probably somewhere in between.

“I had no idea!”

“I wish I’d known!”

“Keep me in the loop!”

We’ve all heard & said these things repeatedly in our lifetimes, I bet.

Somehow they all seem to indicate a reliance on others amidst opportunities for ourselves to do something a little differently in maneuvering the roadways of life.

….Waiting for the light to turn green….

Somewhere. Somehow. Sometime.

Letting go of our self-centered ways perhaps.

Easing up on our pre-conceived notions.

Accelerating or should that be excelling in new perceptive & spontaneous ways of kindness & compassion.

Is it just me, or do headlines like these not somehow scream let’s nix some of our out-of-control bureaucracies & return to a more compassionate world where care for one another is paramount?!…

Is that really too idealistic? I like to think–NOT.

Vancouver’s sudden mild temperatures (13-15C) and abundance of rain and an anticipated “king tide” for today has seen the city works department place 30,000 sandbags along a low level road near Locarno Beach to deal with anticipated flooding in the low-lying area.

Wednesday will be a day that shouts–stay dry!

Days and weeks and situations can often make it seem like things are out of control.

I have a friend that says her day to day task in her workplace is to manage the chaos!…

Cheers to a wonderful mid-week Wednesday that sings—“all is calm, all is bright!”

According to a recent study, the corner store is disappearing from neighbourhoods and in Vancouver it’s a fact that 82% of them are apparently in non-residential areas. A startling statistic is that the median annual property taxes for such stores according to city records is $23,000. “A lot of bread and milk to cover rent and taxes.”

The study concludes that there’s a correlation between affordable housing and corner stores in a neighbourhood. “An equilibrium, a balancing in a dynamic neighbourhood….”

Cheers to green grocers…may things balance out so they shout “we’re in your corner!…..”

As the Interior Design Show West gets underway at the Vancouver Convention Centre there’s an interesting tale in today’s news about Vancouver’s Bocci lighting designers and their participation in London UK’s similar design show where they have showcased their products illuminating the entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum, the hub to London’s week long event.

Cheers to all designers…..may success be beyond their creativity and imagination!…..

Home sweet home, a phrase that we can all identify with!….

A huge part of that is not only the physical abode, design features and all, but also—-the community!

We are all oneand share the same soul

Our hearts are unlockedlike our doors used to be

In appreciationof a moment or personmagic happens

Compassion is not passing bycompassion is moving forwardwith passionwith a heart softenedremembering that we canslow down at anytimeto touch, feel, connectand truly knoweach otherjust by moving forwardwith heart softened

Compassionshare ityou can spare it

A hugwill heal a lot

Blind, absolute tolerancea brand new startno blamefrom a brand new viewno gameslet the colors bleedor stay fastbut let them meannot to the wholeonly the owner

After thatwe’ll all dancetogether

Joy of a childshows braveryof the world

Don’t just walkin someone’s shoeswalk in their feet…blisters and allStumbling, tripping, ramblingthrough life until I foundsomething that matteredIt wasn’t somethingthat I could touch, taste or smellbut it was more solid somehowWhat a community can give-intangible, but more realthan anything I’d ever knownand the benefits, betterthan being aloneisolation didn’t appeal anymore

When wonderingwhat should be doneto anotherdon’t just shoot from the hipand do what you’d have them dobut simply ASKwhat they want from you

Can I care for thosewho share my space and world?Of course, I canWe can all be a chorus of compassion.Sing people, SING!

Feeling compassionfor the sagging ashen fleshof the late-night-pleasesend-fifteen cents-kitten eyed girland the roll of flesh of the EBT cardfried-chicken-white bread-pall mall stench man struggling against millionsof years of evolution

Compassion is caring and sharingIt doesn’t matter who you areor where you come fromIt’s about each contributingwhat he or she can bringso that we can all be one

Community: come on,let’s get some unity“Be excellent to each otherand party on Dude!!!”

Compassion for the broken people, the pariahs of the community can be rewarding

Our charter of compassionmay be no Magna Cartabut Jack Kerouacwasn’t no Siddhartha

My heart hums…hearing… listening…to butterfly wingsflap away the confusionof being a caterpillar…embracing life and livingwith respectfor all creation

Intense, full finding a wayto release the trutha sigh of feeling complete

Community like a great sycamoreis deeply connectedindividually we soar at tips of brancheseach dancing to own rhythm yet harmonically as oneAt any height we singwith fear knowingwe are held securely by othersand while we bend with each stormwe will not breakfor together our back is strongand our feet are firmly planted

When you feel likethe worst has come to passremember all the sorrows of othersthen tell yourself…wait and hopeA place where you check your egoat the door and walk in

A unique consideration and compassionateunderstanding of one and the relationshipto group that allows Creation’s lightto shine on that, one, and all